Effect of atmosphere during heating of substrate on the low temperature deposition of metalorganic chemical vapor deposited Pb(Zrx,Ti1−x)O3 thin films

The effect of the atmosphere during the heating of a substrate before starting the deposition on the characteristics of the deposited Pb(Zrx,Ti1−x)O3 (PZT) films was investigated. Rhombohedral PZT films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) from 415 to 580 °C. PZT films with smooth surfaces and low leakage current densities were obtained when the substrate was heated under an Ar atmosphere at the heating rate of 7 °C/min. Moreover, a crystalline PZT film having good ferroelectricity was obtained at as low as 415 °C when the substrate was heated under the Ar atmosphere, while the film consisted of an amorphous phase when the substrate was heated under an O2 atmosphere. These results clearly show that heating the substrate under an Ar atmosphere before starting the deposition is effective for obtaining a film with a large ferroelectricity at a low deposition temperature for the MOCVD process.